Sun Kissed Beaches
by Restless Inner Thoughts
Summary: A mysterious figure seems determined that the seven heroes should be rewarded for their great deeds. Trust Seifer and Quistis to be difficult! R&R!
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
"Being a receptionist isn't quite what it's made out to be." The young man sat at the Balamb Hotel's main desk thought with a yawn. His sleep-heavy eyes opened wide however as the doors opened and a woman walked in and up to the desk.  
  
"Well, more like floated in like the angel she is." The young man mumbled as she drew nearer. "Those lips! That body! If only she were wearing a skirt! Okay man, just play it cool." He really hoped that the young woman couldn't read minds.  
  
"Good evening, ma'am. Can I help?" He smiled at her, a very wide smile which she returned, though with a hint of coolness. He would've liked to see her eyes but they were hidden behind very dark glasses. A few stray strands of her hair were teasing him from beneath her hat. He had the niggling feeling he'd seen this woman before but he couldn't think where.  
  
"I booked a room for this evening." The vision replied, placing her purse down on the counter.  
  
"Under what name please?"  
  
"White." The woman replied smoothly.  
  
"Okay, you're in room 24. Sign here please." He gestured to the book and turned round to get her keys. "Here you go." He said, passing her a set of two keys. "I hope you have a pleasant stay. Will you be back down for dinner?" The young man's eyes were full of hope, but the woman just smiled, a half shy, half mischievous smile that entranced him. He never noticed that, as she picked her purse up, she left behind one of the keys slightly hidden by a piece of paper.  
  
"I very much doubt it. Thank you." Picking up her one small bag with a black gloved hand, she made her way slowly up the stairs.  
  
The young man could hardly take his eyes away from her, but a very loud cough rudely interrupted his dreaming.  
  
"I booked a room." The man who had coughed said abruptly. He too, the young man noted with interest, was wearing sunglasses and a hat. He was tall and well built, the black trench coat showing off his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Again, the receptionist had the niggling feeling he had seen this man before. He hoped not though, there was something slightly menacing about him.  
  
"Name please." The young man replied, just as abruptly.  
  
"Black."  
  
The young man blinked but indicated the guest to sign the book. "You will be in room 12. I'll just get your keys."  
  
"Thanks." While the receptionists back was turned, the man slipped the key from under the paper on the desk into his pocket.  
  
"There you go. Have a nice stay." He mumbled, handing the man his keys grudgingly. There was something about this stranger that annoyed him he realised as he watched the man pick up his one suitcase with a gloved hand and start decidedly up the stairs.  
  
"Will you be wanting dinner down here?" The receptionist called up.  
  
"No. I prefer dessert" The man replied with a grin.  
  
The receptionist sat again by himself, pondering his life and thinking of the beauty in room 24. "Maybe she'd like to be woken up tomorrow at a particular hour. I think I'll go check with her." He thought to himself. "Hey Mark! Watch the desk will you?" He shouted at a friend and started up to Room 24 in the lift.  
  
The lift doors opened at one end of the corridor and the receptionist started walking towards her room. He stopped though as he saw the man from downstairs walk towards room 24. Placing a key in the lock he turned it and slipped into the room as if it was his own!  
  
"Did I give him the wrong keys?" The receptionist thought desperately. "Maybe she's in trouble!" With this thought in mind he walked towards the door and knocked. It was opened almost immediately by the young woman.  
  
"Yes?" She asked, with a hint of a polite smile.  
  
"I just thought I'd check you were okay." He stumbled quickly. "I thought I saw a man enter your rooms." He added stupidly.  
  
"I think I would have noticed a strange man enter my room, don't you? Thank you for looking out for me though. I appreciate it." She smiled, warmer now.  
  
Quistis Trepe shut the door on the receptionist and pulled her hat off, sending waves of golden hair cascading down her back and shoulders. She pulled the dark glasses off and her sparkling eyes met with a pair of smouldering ones.  
  
Quistis smiled slightly then reached out and pulled Seifer Almasy towards her by putting one hand on the nape of his neck. He responded by pushing her up against the door and kissing her passionately.  
  
In between the rapid kisses they managed to have a conversation.  
  
"I've missed you." She said.  
  
"I can tell." Came the reply.  
  
"It's not enough though. These snatched moments. When are you going to come out of hiding?" She asked.  
  
He pulled away briefly. "Wait a minute, don't make it sound like my fault. You're the one who didn't want this to go public."  
  
"I meant I didn't want us to go public. Us. A couple. But you don't have to hide anymore."  
  
"Maybe I like hiding." He said shortly.  
  
"I didn't think you were a coward." She muttered, pushing him away and starting to move away. He grabbed her wrist and pushed her back against the wall.  
  
"I'm not a coward!" He growled through clenched teeth.  
  
She grinned suddenly. "I know you're not. Ha! Got you!" He smiled back at her slightly. It had been a habit of theirs to argue a lot, until both did all they could to rub the other one up the wrong way. It was a game to see who got upset the quickest.  
  
"Good. Because I've got a plan." He replied.  
  
"You?" She asked, playfully amazed.  
  
"Yes, me." He said, kissing her gently on the lips. She looked at him with raised eyebrows, but he pretended to be confused. "What?"  
  
"Aren't you going to tell me?" She asked.  
  
"Nope. You'll just have to find out for yourself. Think of it as a surprise."  
  
I don't like surprises." She muttered but immediately forgot about it as Seifer kissed her passionately.  
  
"Tomorrow." He thought. "Tomorrow she'll find out what I've planned." He smiled happily to himself. 


	2. Re admitted

Chapter One: Re-admitted  
  
It was a year after the defeat of Ultemecia. Squall, Rinoa, Selphie, Zell, Irvine and Quistis were sat around a formal meeting table. They were joined by Cid and Edea Kramer and Seifer Almasy. A meeting had been called to discuss whether Seifer should be allowed back into Balamb Garden to restart his SeeD training.  
  
There was much debate but with Edea on his side, Seifer had hardly any need to worry. She explained to the former children she had looked after about how Seifer had been controlled by Ultemecia into doing such terrible things. "Seifer had no control over what he was doing." She explained simply in her slightly husky tone, "Anyone would be powerless. Even I was. If you can accept me back, then you can accept Seifer. If not, then maybe you should turn us both out now."  
  
There was a chorus of worried murmurs at this, and Edea knew she had won her audience around. Seifer would be readmitted.  
  
Ultemecia's one time knight stood up, drawing attention to himself as he often loved so much. "If you all don't mind, I'd like to settle into my room now that it's been decided I can stay. I don't s'pose I get my old room back?" He glanced at Cid, who shook his head. "Didn't think so. Well, if someone will show me where I'm staying, I guess I'll go then. Leave you all to talk about me behind my back." There was a glint of green eyes, a swish of grey coat, and a flash of silvery blue from the blade of Hyperion and Seifer was gone.  
  
"Well, I guess someone should go after him." Headmaster Cid said lazily. "Any volunteers? Quistis! How nice of you to offer! You'd better toddle off then. Have a nice time." Quistis was left to stare bewilderedly, as Headmaster Cid pulled her out of her seat and pushed her gently towards the door without her having said anything, let alone volunteered.  
  
She gazed pleadingly at the gang before she left but all they did was smile and wave at her. With an exasperated sigh she left the room. The sigh soon changed into a smile as she headed down the corridor towards the lift.  
  
Sure enough, leaning against the wall next the elevator was a tall, well built young man with a grey trench coat falling from his broad shoulders to almost the bottom of his long legs.  
  
He smiled evilly at Quistis.  
  
"Instructor." With a nod of his blond head, the man acknowledged Quistis.  
  
"Seifer." Quistis returned the acknowledgement with a nod of her own. The students outside the lift were eagerly watching the scene between the Instructor and a man who most people thought to be the enemy of the world!  
  
Quistis sighed inwardly as the elevator appeared and a 'ding' signalled that the doors had opened. As they shut Quistis smiled slightly, glad to be free of the glare of prying eyes.  
  
Seifer and Quistis stared at each other for a long moment while the air between them sparked with passion before kissing.  
  
Quistis pulled away long enough to say, "So that was your big surprise! I never would have guessed."  
  
"Did you enjoy it then?" Seifer asked, a barely concealed desire to please hovered just behind his eyes. He kissed her neck.  
  
"I was very surprised, which was probably your aim. I had to pretend to look stern whenever I even glanced in your direction. It was very hard." She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm glad you're here though. I'll get to see more of you, for a change."  
  
"We'll have to be careful though." Seifer said seriously. Then his facade cracked and he grinned instead, "I can't believe I just said that! I sounded like you! Of course we don't have to be careful, we'll do whatever we want!"  
  
"Hey! What do you mean by that?" She demanded, eyes sparkling.  
  
"I ain't one for playing by the rules, Instructor." He gave her a practised dangerous grin before kissing her jaw line.  
  
"And I am, I suppose?"  
  
"Well, yeah, sometimes." Realising too late he was getting himself into deep water, Seifer tried desperately to bail himself out. "You're an Instructor though, I don't blame you."  
  
They had by this time, reached the bottom floor and we're on their way to the dorms without even realising it. Both of them were so caught up in their discussion that they didn't even notice the gasps, and stares Seifer was getting.  
  
"I've broken the rules before, thank you very much!" Quistis exclaimed.  
  
"Oh yeah? When?" There was a pause in the conversation as Quistis thought hard. "You can't think of anything! Ha!"  
  
"Yes I can! I know very well when I broke the rules! Of course I've broken the rules before! I'm not a goody goody. Anyway, it's not such a good thing to be like you, Mr. 'I break the rules all the time and look what good that did me!' At least I qualified a SeeD, on my first attempt as well, and was on the Good side of the battle against Evil!"  
  
There was silence as Seifer glowered menacingly.  
  
"Oh, this is where you're staying by the way.." Quistis chirped happily, ignoring Seifer's sudden anger. "You get a room to yourself because.well, everyone's either scared of you, or hates you." Quistis said this while opening the door and her last words were uttered after being slammed up against the now shut door.  
  
"Take that back!" Seifer growled, his mouth mere millimetres away from Quistis'.  
  
"No." She breathed. "How are you going to make me? Are you going to hit me and prove that you're just as bad as people say you are."  
  
"I would never hit you." Seifer whispered, this time completely serious.  
  
Quistis smiled gently, "I know. By the way, I won again." She added casually.  
  
"Damn that game." Seifer murmured, before pressing his lips to hers in a slow, but very sensual kiss. "You don't have anywhere to be right now, do you?" He asked after they paused. She shook her head. "Good." He breathed before resuming their kiss, pulling her away from the door and towards the bed. 


	3. Unbidden Memories

Chapter 2 - Unbidden Memories  
  
Seifer woke in the morning to an empty space next to him. He wasn't surprised though. She'd told him she would leave early. It's not like he blamed her, he knew the last thing she wanted to do was be found in Seifer Almasy's bed! She was Quistis Trepe, co saver of the world! Why would she want to admit she was sleeping with the most evil man in the world?  
  
He'd always thought this, and always thought of it as being fine and accepted it as the way their relationship was. This morning though, it put him in a bad mood. He had wild ideas of running round Garden, yelling the truth about them. It didn't help his mood.  
  
In the end, he decided he was in such a bad mood because he was hungry and stomped off in search of something to eat. On his way to the cafeteria, while dodging the boo's and the sneers, and the terrified, angry and annoyed looks of other Balamb Garden members, he noticed a wildly grinning face who was charging towards him.  
  
"Hey, Seifer, it's good to see you at last, ya know." He was greeted warmly.  
  
"Hi, Raj, how's it going?" It was strange to see Rajin. Strange to be so pleased to see someone from his past.  
  
"Fine! Me and Rebecca are getting married in a months time, ya know!"  
  
"Really? Great! Who's Rebecca?" Seifer suddenly remembered that he hadn't even heard the name Rebecca before.  
  
"You wouldn't have met Rebecca before. She's the new librarian at Balamb Garden. I got to know her because I kept forgetting to return my library books. She kept having to chase after me!" At this, Rajin grinned broadly at the memory, "Yo, Seif, what you been doing for the last 6 months, ya know?"  
  
"Um...well.." Seifer began slowly as if unsure of what to say. Suddenly, unbidden memories started flashing in front of his eyes.  
  
*  
  
It was windy, cold and cruel outside. The seas were being tossed around, splashing up onto the old, weathered pier. In the cosy little tavern though, all was warm and safe.  
  
She had been lucky to get the singing job, it had been by chance that she had got lost and ended up in this little harbour town. She had sought refuge in the little inn and had stayed for several days trying to figure out what to do next. When the singing job came up she used it as an excuse to stay. She was starting to realise that this little town was exactly what she needed. So different from Garden. Nobody knew her. Nobody thought of her as the great hero who helped save the world from Ultemecia. Nobody called her 'Instructor', she was just Quistis.  
  
A month after the defeat of Ultemecia everything was really quiet. Squall and Rinoa we're happily together, Selphie had Irvine, Zell had his hotdogs....they we're all happy. But Quistis wasn't and decided she needed a break. She needed to travel for a while. She slipped away in the middle of the night and didn't tell anyone.  
  
She had been at the inn for a month now and all the locals knew her. They were her friends. She felt like she really fitted in. For almost the first time in her life she was completely happy. Tonight though every thing was about to change...  
  
Quistis was halfway through her second number when the stranger walked in, or to be more precise, was blown in by the ferocious wind.  
  
It was usual for strangers to enter the inn of course. Still, it was always interesting to find out who they were and what they were like.  
  
She could see the raindrops running down the back of his trench coat. Something was bothering her; something was nagging at the back of her mind. It wasn't until the stranger turned, running his gloved hands through his drenched, blond hair, that she realised he wasn't as much of stranger as she thought he was.  
  
Quistis was so shocked that she stopped singing and just stood, staring at him. When he noticed the singer had stopped abruptly in the middle of a word he turned to look at her.  
  
Quistis was the last person Seifer had ever expected to see in an inn in the middle of nowhere. His whole world seemed to suddenly stop as he stared into Quistis' blue eyes, widened in shock.  
  
Quistis never would have never dreamed that Seifer would turn up here, at the inn. She never even expected to see him again. As she stared into his blue eyes all the memories she had of him suddenly resurfaced. The pub was completely forgotten as scenes of Seifer when he was small, Seifer mercilessly teasing Zell into tears at the orphanage, flashed before her eyes. She saw him the day of the SeeD test in Dollet, "Save it for a bad student who needs it" he had said, always confident, yet always failing.  
  
Suddenly hundreds of images of Seifer swam through her head and she realised just how hard it must be to be Seifer. Seifer falling, Seifer collapsed, Seifer defeated. Always defeated. For a moment she felt sorry for him, until she remembered all the terrible things he had done. He had tortured Squall, thrown Rinoa to the mercy of Adel, tried to kill her uncountable times. There was no way she was going to forgive him. In fact, she was going to ignore him.  
  
Seifer watched as Quistis' eyes gained a faraway look. He continued to stare into her eyes as he saw thousands of images, all blurred together, but all of Quistis. Quistis the strong one, always the one helping others at the orphanage, stopping him from teasing Chicken-Wuss and Puberty boy. Then he saw Quistis getting her instructor license. He could almost feel how proud she was, then he felt her sadness as she packed her bags to leave Balamb.  
  
Suddenly, as quick as lightening, a whole montage of images flashed before his eyes, Quistis fighting him, beating him. Seifer didn't know where the images came from. He couldn't remember them. But they hurt.  
  
At exactly the same moment as Quistis' eyes hardened, so did Seifer's.  
  
Quistis started to sing again and Seifer went to the bar.  
  
The customers settled back down to watch the show. They all knew Quistis pretty well, so there were no loud complaints at the interruption. However, everyone had seen her reaction to the young, blond man and they were all curious. They knew hardly anything about Quistis. Maybe this man could tell them.  
  
At the very back of the pub in a darkened corner a person mumbled to themself, "This is going to be harder than I thought."  
  
As Seifer sat down on a bar stool and ordered a beer, the barman took his chance. "So, you know Quistis, do you?"  
  
"What's it to you?" Came the gruff reply.  
  
"Nothing really, just curious. What's your name, anyway?"  
  
"Seifer" he answered cautiously, waiting for a reaction.  
  
"Seifer, hmm. Unusual name. We haven't met before have we? Seem to remember the name Seifer." The old man scratched his head in thought; Seifer swallowed a couple of mouthfuls quickly, then changed the subject.  
  
"Do you do rooms here?"  
  
"Sure, 30gil a night"  
  
"Okay, here you go. I'll be staying for a week, but if I decide to leave before then, do I get my money back?" The fact that Quistis was here made him uneasy. He had chosen this remote town because he had thought it would know nothing of his involvement with Ultemecia, and had no connections with Garden. Wrong on at least one point.  
  
"Sure, you get your money back." The amiable pub manager replied, "Here, I'll show you to your room. Any luggage?"  
  
"Nope." Seifer replied shortly. He didn't have anything left anymore. No family, no friends, even Rajin and Fujin had left him.  
  
"Here, this is your room. Bit small, but it's about the only room left. I've put you next to Quistis, as you seem to know her."  
  
"Thanks for you consideration." Seifer answered in a sarcastic tone, thinking the pub manager wouldn't notice it. He did though.  
  
"How long have you known Quistis?"  
  
"Long enough." Seifer replied brusquely.  
  
"Nice girl, that Quistis. Quiet though, and sad for some reason. You'd think that having saved the world, she'd be happy. But no. Don't tell her I know about her being the famous Quistis Trepe. I think she wants to forget her past."  
  
Seifer's head had snapped up from inspecting the floor at that point, "Don't we all," Seifer said quietly, feeling a sudden kin with Quistis.  
  
The pub manager gave Seifer a knowing look with his wizened old face that Seifer didn't catch. The old man was wise, he could easily see the pain and loneliness behind the tough exterior.  
  
"By the way," he called as he left the room, "Call me Benny." 


End file.
